To decide whether a pacemaker is needed, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and health history. You’ll also have tests that check the speed and rhythm of your heartbeat. These include a painless test called an electrocardiogram (ECG). you may also be asked to wear a small electronic device, such as a Holter monitor or event recorder. These information about your heartbeat over a period of hours or days.

A pacemaker does exactly what its name says: It helps keep your heart beating at the right place. This reduces symptoms of a slow heartbeat. It can also let you take medications that would otherwise slow your heartbeat too much. Best of all, a pacemaker can improve your lifestyle by letting you be more active. Keep in mind, though, that having a pacemaker is a lifelong commitment. You’ll need to see your doctor for regular checkups. You’ll also need to take good care of your heart. But these things are more than worth it to keep your heart working well.

Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood throughout the body. It does this using an electrical system that tells your heart when to contract (squeeze). If there’s a problem with this electrical system, your heart may not beat as fast or as often as it should. This means that the heart can’t pump as much blood as the body needs. When that happens, you can have symptoms such as lightheadedness as fatigue.

Each heartbeat starts with an electrical signal. The signals are sent and received by special electrical cells within the heart called nodes. As the signals move through the heart, they tell the chambers that pump blood (called atria and ventricles) when to contract. When you are active, the signals from the nodes speed up to pump blood faster. When you’re resting, the signals return to a normal pace.

A slow heartbeat is often due to problems with the SA node or AV node. In some cases,the heartbeat is slow only once in a while. In others, the heart may beat slowly all the time. And sometimes the heart fails to raise the heart rate during increased physical activity. If either of the nodes fail to send a signal, the heart may go into an “escape rhythm”. This means it continues to beat, but at a slower and less reliable pace.

The main problem that affects the SA node is called sick sinus syndrome. It can cause any of the following: Sinus bradycardia occurs when the SA node sends out signals too slowly. Sinus pause occurs when the SA node fails to send a signal. Without a signal, the atria dont contract. Tachy-brady syndrome occurs when the SA node sends out signals that cause the heartbeat to alternate between very fast and too slow.